Rencontrer
by katmd
Summary: Hermione owns a book shop. Severus wanders in. A bit of fluff in five parts.
1. Part One

Disclaimer:  The characters, settings, etc. of the Harry Potter series are not mine.  I just play with them.

  
  
  
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Part One

**

Severus Snape pulled the cap lower down onto his head.  He knew his eyes were almost completely hidden and that the poor lighting in the small shop made him impossible to identify, but he refused to take any chances.  To imagine that the one muggle book shop he had wandered into on his quest for out of print potions books was run by a former student!  And run by a former student who, as he was acutely aware, had somehow turned from a very awkward and insecure girl into a very attractive and graceful woman.  

He watched as she crossed the store, walking towards him.  Behind her trailed an elderly couple, talking loudly about their granddaughter and the types of books she enjoyed reading.  It was her birthday soon, they added.  Did the shop owner know of anything that might interest the girl?

"I think I know just the thing," the attractive shop owner said in an enthusiastic tone that caused Severus to think of her as a child.  He pictured her sitting in a classroom, his classroom, on her first day of school.  He could see her, quite clearly, waving her hand wildly at him so that he'd call on her to answer his questions.  He watched as the couple walked past him and followed her into the children's section where they marveled at the wide selection of fiction.  "Here we are!" He heard her say, succeeded by gasps of delight from the couple.

"This is perfect," the old woman said.  "Absolutely perfect."

"Well, I am very glad.  If you'd just head over to the counter, I would be more than happy to ring it up for you."  He watched as the old couple walked over to the counter, following the owner's instructions.  He did not notice her coming to stand beside him.

"So," she said softly.  He tried not to notice that she smelled like vanilla.  He tried to ignore that her hair was no longer frizzy and puffy, but now formed long brown ringlets that rested easily on her shoulders, as if they had been there all of her life.  He tried to deceive himself into thinking that her curvaceous form was not really there and that she was still eleven years old, looking at him with wide eyed fear in the Potions classroom.  He tried, he really tried.  But he failed miserably.

"So," he croaked.  It was a feeble response, but he felt feeble.  He felt like a lecherous old man.  Finding himself attracted to a former student was by no means professional and was certainly not something that would be expected of Professor Severus Snape.

"Interested in magic, I see," she replied, moving to reach across him to the bookshelf.  He hated himself when he attempted to step forward so that her arm would accidentally brush against him.  Luckily, she was too quick for him.  "This is a good title," she continued, pointing at a thin volume on the shelf, "if you are interested in Wicca and the like."

"I am not sure what I am interested in, really," he said softly, hoping that she would not recognize his voice, hoping that she had not already recognized him and was playing dumb, hoping that he would be able to escape from this shop without proposing marriage or buying all of her stock.

"Oh well then!" she exclaimed, smiling.  "I'll just leave you to browse while I ring up some customers.  I will be at my desk if you need any help."

Inwardly groaning, Severus stared hard at the shelves as she left his side.  What was his next move?  Purchasing a book he didn't want and using it as a reason to leave immediately and never come back?  Standing here and staring at the shelves until she came back to him and politely told him it was closing time so he'd have to bugger off?  Confess his identity and the sudden and overwhelming sense of ardor he was feeling towards her?  

Snape decided instead to try and remember the last time he had seen her.  It had to have been five years before at the Potter wedding.  He remembered how terrible she had looked then, hiding in the shadows and socializing with practically no one.  She had left a few days afterwards, simply disappearing one August evening.  Whispers around the castle had claimed that she had been in love with Harry for quite some time and the wedding was simply her undoing.  They had said that Hermione Granger had fled the Wizarding World to find a quiet and painless life among muggles.  They said she wanted to mend her broken heart and find her true calling.

Severus supposed she had found it.  She looked more beautiful and happy than he had ever remembered her being.  He had to smile at the thought of books being the source of Hermione's true happiness.  It was always books and the pursuit of knowledge that had brought the girl joy; the mischievous escapades with her friends had merely been filler.  He should of known, of course, that her love of books would have led her to such a career.

Turning slightly as if he wanted to examine a title on his left, Severus quickly glanced over his shoulder at the front counter.  There Hermione sat, staring down at the pages of a large volume.  She seemed engrossed in the text, so Severus risked watching her a bit longer than was absolutely necessary.  She was still as beautiful as she had been a few moments ago, and he still felt perverse and extraordinarily old.  

By wizarding standards, forty-five was nothing.  Severus was not yet to the middle of his life, but nonetheless, he was suddenly quite aware of the fact that he was in fact a full _forty-five_ years old.  And if his calculations were accurate, Miss Granger was, therefore, only in her mid-twenties.  

The pure and simple truth of the matter was that he was old enough to be her father, and probably too old to be thinking about fathering children with her.

Sighing with defeat and resignation, Severus pulled the volume she had suggested earlier from the shelf and walked over to the counter.  She didn't notice him walking, and he took advantage of the situation, studying her beauty more closely.  It was incredible to him that she could undergo such a change in countenance, becoming such a beauty when none of her features had altered at all.

Frowning, he realized that he didn't really want to purchase this book.  He'd have no reason to come back again if he did.  But he was certain of one thing: he could not risk her recognizing him on a repeat trip. He could practically hear her giggling over her encounter with Professor Snape as she wrote a letter to one of her friends, recounting every detail.  "_You wouldn't believe what happened today_," the letter would probably begin.  "_A man came in to the store, but it wasn't just any man, oh no! It was Professor Severus Snape himself! And what's more, he was practically drooling over me! Can you imagine the Potions Master being affected so strongly by my girlish charms!?  What a fine joke it was_."

Severus shuddered at the thought and slammed the book down onto the counter with a little more fervor than he had intended.  Hermione looked up at him quickly.  She was angry, at first, he could see it in her eyes, but the anger was quickly replaced with happiness.

"So you've found something then?" she said as she rang up his purchase.

"Er, yes."  Snape nodded, reaching into his pockets to find the pound notes.  "Yes, thank you."

She cast him a quick smile before turning her attentions to the book he had picked out.  "Are you interested in Wicca?"

"Well," Snape began, trying desperately to come up with a suitable lie.  "I am fairly interested in witchcraft as a whole."

"Ah." She nodded.  "Any particular branch?"

"Umm…" he tried desperately to think of magic as a muggle would.  It was damn near impossible.  "Astrology?"

"Astrology is a very interesting field of magic," Hermione replied gravely, but smiling at the same time.

"Are you, er, familiar with it?"  Severus asked.

Hermione looked up at him and continued to smile.  "No, not particularly.  Five pounds please."

Severus nodded and looked down at the bills in his hand.  The five pound note was easy enough to pick out; he handed it to her.

"Thank you," she said as she took the money from him.  She placed it in the register, and she handed him his receipt and the book in a plastic bag.  "I hope you'll come back, soon.  I'll see if I can't manage to get a hold of some good books on astrology."

Snape nodded, taking the receipt and bag from her.  He stepped away from the counter and walked to the door, knowing he'd probably be back in just a few days time.  It would take nothing short of a natural disaster to keep him from coming back to see Hermione.  


	2. Part Two

Disclaimer:  The characters, settings, etc. of the Harry Potter series are not mine.  I just play with them.

  
  
  
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Part Two

**

Hermione Granger sat at the desk of the small, dusty building and frowned.  She frowned because she'd just remembered she had no milk at home and the market would be closed by the time she got home.

Crookshanks would be very irritated when she came home for the third straight day with no milk.  He had been drinking water in the evening before he went to sleep instead of his usual saucer of milk, but he had been by no means happy about it.  He was quite the contrary, actually, and was only drinking the water out of desperation.

Hermione guessed, from the angle of the sunlight on her desk, that it was approaching four o'clock.  She usually waited around until five before closing up shop on slow days like this.  Mondays were not usually extraordinarily busy. She had the most customers on the weekends or on Friday evenings.  

Today was like most Mondays.  A couple of young school children had wandered in about three o'clock, looking at her fiction shelves to see if anything struck them as interesting.  When the young ones filed out of the store at about half past three, the teenaged students came in, looking for books for class.  They cleared out quickly, and were in and out of the shop in under fifteen minutes.  Thus, by four o'clock, all of Hermione's Monday business had come and gone, and she was left to twiddle her thumbs until five o'clock.

At ten 'til five, Hermione stood from her perch behind the counter and walked towards the shelves to give them a last straightening.  There was nothing more she hated than returning to the store in the morning to find all of the books in disarray because she had neglected to straighten up the night before.

She was rearranging the middle shelf of the biography section when she heard the bell ring as the door to the shop opened, signifying that a customer had entered.  Hermione glanced at her watch and saw that it was two minutes until closing.  She sighed but reminded herself that staying open a few minutes after five would be worth it if she could make a bit of money.

"I'll be with you in just a minute!" she called to the customer.

"Take your time," came the response.  She recognized the man's voice.  He had to be a regular customer for her to remember the sound of his voice, and as she always paid frequent patrons particular attention, she hurriedly finished fixing up the shelves.

"Sorry," she said as she emerged from behind the shelves and walked towards the counter where he now stood.  

She hoped she did not look as surprised as she felt.

The man standing next to the counter was by no means a regular customer.  In fact, he had only come into the store once before a few days ago.  She supposed the only reason she recognized him now was because he still had that baseball cap pulled low so that it hid his eyes.  There was, of course, his stance which had struck her as oddly familiar when she saw him gazing at the rows of books his first time in the shop.  And, of course, there was the fact that his voice struck something—a memory she supposed—deep in the recesses of her mind.  Ignoring all of this at present, though, she attributed her quick recognition to his baseball cap.

"Well, hello." She smiled up at him.  "I didn't expect you back for a few weeks."

"Er, well…" She watched as he shifted his weight with uneasiness.  He cleared his throat and spoke with renewed force in a clear and rather cold tone.  "I finished my book.  I was wondering if you had any new ones?"  

"In the field of astrology?" She asked as she walked around to the back of the counter.  She had gone home the day he had come into the store and had found her book from Divination.  It was quite old now, but as she had not put it through much wear, was still in perfect condition for reading.

"Yes, yes," he replied hurriedly.  "Astrology."

"Tell me, sir," she said as she bent down behind the counter to retrieve the volume from one of her storage shelves.  "Are you interested in astrology for horoscopes and such?"

"Um…yes," he replied hesitantly.

"Excellent," Hermione said, straightening up and offering him a bright smile as she placed the volume on top of the counter.  She watched with satisfaction as he stepped forwards and looked with interest down at the book.

"_Unfogging the Future_?" He read aloud, looking up at her quizzically.  "This is about astrology?"

"Well, no," Hermione said quickly, blushing at his skepticism.  She was unsure as to why she felt so motivated to impress him, but she was.  She wanted him to believe that she was intelligent and interesting. "It is a rather rare book; I found it in a shop in a small shop a long time ago.  I saw it on my bookshelf at home and thought it might be what you were looking for."  She was surprised at her capability to spin lies with such ease. 

He nodded slowly, lifting a hand and tracing the title with his index finger.  Hermione tried not to stare at his hands, but it was far too difficult no to do so.  She was amazed by how beautiful they were.  They were quite obviously masculine and not unaccustomed to hard labor, but at the same time they were quite elegant.  She was also struck by how familiar they seemed to be; it was as if she had seen his hands thousands of times before, but just fully noticed them now.

"If it's not about astrology, then exactly what subject does it deal with?" He asked, keeping his eyes on the book.

"Well, predicting the future.  The book refers to it as the study of divination." 

He glanced up at her.  His features were, much to her ire, still well hidden by the shadows cast on his face by the bill of the cap and the poor lighting of her store.  His eyes were slightly distinguishable; she could tell that they were very dark in color. At this moment, she noticed, they seemed to shine with interest.

"I have never heard of it," he confessed, but she noted he sounded rather intrigued.

Hermione smirked.  "I'm sorry to say I don't know much about it.  I simply skimmed the book.  It seems to have a bit to do with reading tea leaves and crystal balls and other foolishness."

He offered a half smile that she noted more closely resembled a sneer than any kind of grin.  "Perhaps it's not so foolish."

Hermione chuckled softly.  "Well, I have never put much faith in tea leaves, but by all means, sir, if you think it to be a particularly useful way to predict the future, please give it a go."

His smile widened.  "Maybe I will.  How much do I owe you for this?"  He asked as he reached into his pocket, she assumed, to pull out money.

"Oh, please," she reached over the counter and put her hand on his arm.  "No money."  She noticed when he looked at her that his skepticism was apparent in his eyes.  "I'd much rather you just take it."  She paused to take a deep breath before making her next offer.  "Besides, once you're done, you can bring it back and we'll discuss what you've learned."

He continued to smile at her.  "That would be lovely.  There is nothing I would love more than to share any garnered knowledge about tea leaves with a beautiful young woman."

Hermione promptly blushed at his words, and did not fail to notice the surprise in his eyes.  She supposed his calling her beautiful had been as unexpected to him as it had been to her.

"Well," he said clearing his throat and grabbing the book off of the counter.  "I suppose I will see you in a few days time."

"Yes," she nodded and watched as he walked towards the door.  "Good bye," she said as he opened it.

"Good bye," he replied and walked out into the early evening air.


	3. Part Three

Disclaimer:  The characters, settings, etc. of the Harry Potter series are not mine.  I just play with them.

  
  
  
**

Part Three

**

"Idiot," Snape muttered as he walked out into the night.  "Stupid git."  He walked hurriedly away from the storefront.  The small muggle community was very quiet even though it was still rather early on in the evening.

"You're such a twit," Severus sighed softly as he stopped a few streets down from Hermione's store.  He turned and looked into a darkened store window.  His reflection confirmed his suspicions.  He looked like a complete idiot with the cap pulled down so that it hid half of his face.  He noticed that the jumper he wore wasn't exactly flattering as it was about two sizes too big.  His slacks fit him well, but he doubted Hermione Granger was the type of person to worry much about a man's pants.

Sighing once more, Severus turned away from the window.  He walked a few steps to the alleyway next to the shop and looked around.  There was no one to be seen, save a small cat slinking along the wall.  Severus focused his attentions on the grounds outside of Hogwarts and disappeared into the night.

After he apparated to his destination, Severus walked the short distance to the castle gates.  Once inside, he headed directly to his chambers, not bothering to let the headmaster know he had arrived back to the school safely.

As he trekked through the school, Severus's thoughts were occupied by one person.  Granger had again looked beautiful this evening, so beautiful that he had unable to keep his damn mouth shut about it.   He could not bear to imagine how ridiculous he must have looked standing there in his damned cap, complimenting her appearance.  He'd probably frightened her, he was sure of it.  He looked like some kind of psychotic with that cap and his sweater that didn't fit. She probably thought he was stalking her. He supposed that the next time he showed up she'd have the muggle authorities casing the place.  He could see them, ready to pounce when he asked her out to supper.

He came to his door and opened it quickly, muttering his password quietly.  He passed through his study and went straight into his bedroom.  Suddenly exhausted, Severus tore off the baseball cap and sweater, tossing them onto the chair beside his bed.  He set the book on his night table and peeled off the nicely-fitting slacks, placing them on top of the pile on the chair. Kicking off his shoes, he climbed into bed.

After a few moments of staring at his ceiling, Severus realized that he was not going to fall asleep any time soon. He sighed and reached for the book.  He could not believe he was going to read a basic level Divination text book, but he opened it to the first chapter anyway.

On the page before him he saw millions of markings in blue ink.  Phrases were underlined and words were circled.  He saw notes written in even lines in the margins.  They were made in a remarkably neat penmanship he recognized from essays he had graded years before. 

Suddenly he was poring over her notes, eager to see what Hermione had written in this book.  He was amazed by some of the assertions she made.  She seemed to list thousands of resources to back her arguments.  He was surprised and amused by some of the more scathing comments she had scribbled in the margins.  The doodles were by far the most entertaining feature of the book, though.  She often took it upon herself to illustrate the text.  Some of the drawings were quite rational: flow charts of processes and tables of information.  Most, however, were purely amusing, like the exaggerated drawing of a woman, who bore strong resemblance to Trelawney, looking into tea cups and musing "Who knew a common beverage contained all of the answers to life's mysteries?"

Snape sneered at the pages.  So her humor needed a bit of work?  It didn't bother him much.  In fact, he imagined it had improved a good bit since her fourth year.  He could remember hearing some of the sarcastic comments she had muttered in her seventh year, and though he would never have revealed it in his expression, some of it was quite clever. 

Snape felt his muscles relax as he continued to think about her.  He pictured her clearly, sitting at the counter in her shop.  He loved the way her hair fell about her shoulders in the soft ringlets she had managed to tame her formerly wild mane into.  He loved how bright her eyes were when she discussed the book with him as though she was simply ecstatic to be imparting information about magic to him. 

Snape sighed and turned over in bed.  Closing his eyes and continuing to think about her, he found that sleep came to him quickly.


	4. Part Four

Disclaimer:  The characters, settings, etc. of the Harry Potter series are not mine.  I just play with them.

  
  
  
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Part Four

**

Hermione did not think her cheeks would ever return to their normal color.  She crossed the threshold into her flat and looked into her hall mirror.  They were still stained a bright red.  Sighing, she threw her keys onto the table and slipped off her shoes.

"Crookshanks," she called as she padded across her small living room to the kitchen.  "Where are you kitten?"

Entering the kitchen, she saw he was already there, resting on top of the kitchen table.  He opened one eye as she turned on the light, and seeing that it was only her, closed it again.  

"Lovely to see you too," Hermione smiled as she pulled an apple from the basket on the counter.  She sat down at the kitchen table and looked at her cat.  "Crookshanks, what am I going to do?"

He made no attempt to answer, but this did not dissuade Hermione from talking to him.  "It's ridiculous, really," she sighed, biting into her apple.  "I mean to be so attracted to a complete stranger is not only silly, it's dangerous!"

She frowned and took another bite. "What if he's stalking me or something?"  She had to laugh at her own musings, he did seem completely sane and her instincts shouted that he could be trusted.  But still, she could picture him coming in, muggle police arresting him if he asked her out for a drink.

"Oh Crooks," she sighed again.  "It's his voice.  It has to be his voice that I find so attractive.  It is rather nice, though.  He always speaks so softly and it's so smooth.  Oh and his eyes, of course.  What I have seen of them, anyway."  

She frowned as she thought of that silly baseball cap.  Maybe he would come in one day without it.  She was dying to get a good look at his face.  The more she thought about him, though, she found she could form a fairly good picture of what she thought his face looked like.

She dropped the apple onto the table in horror when she realized who she had designed him to resemble.

"Snape?" She looked at Crookshanks who was now peering up at her.  He purred and flicked his tale in response.

"No, no.  He can't be _Snape_."  She tried to picture the potions master as accurately she could.  What did her mysterious bookshop man have in common with Snape? She sighed as she realized that there were, in fact, a few things.  

For one, he walked like her old professor.  A very purposeful stalk she had noticed when he had first entered the store.  There was his stance too.  She would never forget Snape looming over her as she and Neville struggled to create one potion or another.  What she had seen of his skin she knew to be the same pallid shade of her former professor's.  There were his eyes too, his lovely eyes, glittering and black like Snape's.  The mystery man's eyes displayed much more warmth than her professor's had, but outside of the classroom setting, she imagined Snape had the potential to be a nice man.  Well, he had the potential to at least be civil.

The mystery man had been quite civil towards her.  _More than civil_, she thought, and blushed once again at the remembrance of the compliment he'd paid her.  She recalled the gentle tone his voice had taken as he had finished his sentence.  "Oh God!" Hermione exclaimed, looking down at Crookshanks with a distressed expression.  "His voice!"

She thought about its smoothness, his perfect annunciation, the clipped and cold tone it had adopted once or twice, and it became quite obvious to whom the voice belonged.

"Oh God," Hermione sighed again, propping her elbows on the table and resting her head in her hands.  "I have a crush on Severus Snape."

Crookshanks stood up and leapt off of the table.  The sudden movement distracted Hermione and she watched as he walked over to sit before the refrigerator.  He stared at her quite pointedly.

"Yes, yes.  You're ready for your drink then, I suppose."  Hermione stood from her seat at the table and walked over to a cabinet.  She pulled down the saucer she used for Crookshanks nightcap and looked down at him.  "I'm afraid I didn't have time to go to the market."

Crookshanks narrowed his eyes at her in a look that seemed to say, "Too busy with Snape?"

"I know, I know.  I'll go tomorrow and get your milk.  I promise."  She opened the refrigerator door and pulled out a bottle of water.  She poured a bit into the dish and brought it over to the corner Crookshanks liked to drink in.

She stood back as he walked over and began lapping up the liquid resignedly. "I'm going to bed.  You can come when you want," she said to the cat.  Turning off the kitchen light, she walked down the short hallway to her bedroom.

She changed quickly out of her clothes and put on her flannel nightgown.  She climbed into bed, turned off her bedside lamp, and laid in the darkness.  She stared at the ceiling, forbidding herself to think about her mystery man.

_Snape_, her mind corrected her.  _His name is Snape_.

"Snape," she said aloud to herself.  "Severus Snape."  She sighed and turned over onto her side.  "Hello," she said to imaginary acquaintances.  "Have I introduced you to my fiancé, Severus?"  

She narrowed her eyes and stared into the darkness.  This would not do.  This would not do at all.


	5. Part Five

Disclaimer:  The characters, settings, etc. of the Harry Potter series are not mine.  I just play with them.

  
  
  
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Part Five

**

Severus pulled nervously at the collar of his shirt as he walked down the street towards her shop.   He felt particularly self conscious today.  The warmer weather of this late September afternoon left him no choice but to abandon his usual sweater and slacks.  Today he donned, instead, a plain button-down oxford and slacks. 

He still wore the cap low on his head, but felt very conspicuous without the high collar and bagginess of his sweater.  Hermione would be able to see just how frail he was in this outfit.  He hated being so thin, but he made no effort to change his appearance.

Severus came to the shop more quickly that he had expected.  He sighed and gave his collar one last tug before opening the door and entering the shop.  The bell rang, signaling his arrival, but he did not see Hermione as he entered.

He walked over to the counter, but no one was there.  Well, no human was there, anyway.  Her cat, the large ginger one that had often seen stalking around the castle, sat curled in a ball on top of the counter.   It raised its head and stared at him.  After a moment of scrutinizing, it offered a low purr of approval and lowered its head again.  Snape watched it, surprised that it seemed to fall back to sleep immediately.

"Lovely to see you too," Severus sighed and glanced up at the clock behind the counter.  It was almost quarter 'til five.  Hermione had been here at this time in the evenings before.  The door was unlocked, and her cat was still here so he doubted highly that she had closed up shop earlier than usual. 

Snape frowned.  Maybe she had just stepped out for a moment.  He imagined that if she had, she would probably return soon.  Severus resolved upon waiting around until five o'clock.    He looked around and saw that there were two chairs a few feet away from the counter.  Crossing the room, he sat down in one.  It was quite comfortable, and left him with absolutely no desire to get up in the near future.

Snape settled himself into the chair and began to observe his surroundings.  It was quite peaceful here.  The shop was small, but contained numerous shelves of books.  Severus supposed Hermione had charmed it to hold more shelves than it would be able to under normal circumstances.  The dim lighting was also very soothing.  The atmosphere was everything he thought it should be: comfortable and inviting.  Snape could easily see himself spending hours here, just sitting and reading.  

"Oh, I didn't hear you come in," a voice said on his left.  He looked up to see Hermione crossing the room from the bookshelves.  He moved to stand up, but the desire to stay in the comfortable chair was too overwhelming.  He settled for smiling at her as she walked over and sat in the chair across from his.

"Hello," he said.  Once again, he felt like moron, and was happy to remind himself that he looked like one too.

"Hi," she smiled back.  "So, did you obtain much insight into the world of divination?"  She sat back in her chair and stared at him.

"No, not really," Severus confessed and felt his heart beat pick up its pace when her smile grew.   "I did enjoy your notes, though.  Particularly the drawings of that woman."

He was surprised to see her blush at this.  "I'd forgotten about those," she confessed.  She cleared her throat.  "I suppose I attached some horrid attempted witticisms to those drawings?"

Snape grinned, raising an eyebrow.  "Well yes, you did, actually."

Hermione giggled softly, and Snape continued to smile at her.  She was too beautiful to be as interested in him as he was in her.  He knew that the moment she discovered his identity this developing relationship would be over.  He found he was rather saddened at the prospect of their friendship ending.

He was quite disturbed to see her look of amusement turn suddenly to one of confusion and suspicion.  She cleared her throat a few times, and he watched as her cheeks became more and more flushed.  "How exactly did you know the notes were mine, sir?"

Severus did not have any idea how to respond.  "Well," he began, searching his mind for an answer.  "The handwriting was quite feminine."  

He watched her as she narrowed her eyes, inspecting him.  "I see," she said softly.

"So…" He glanced away from her face towards the shelves, eager to find a new subject for discussion.  "You certainly manage to fit quite a bit of stock into such a tiny building."

He noticed that Hermione simply smiled at this.  "Yes, well it's the lighting.  It creates the illusion of this place being smaller than it actually is."

He nodded and tried to think of yet another topic to talk about.  He realized that when she began speaking he would not need to find one.  

"What do you do for a living?" she asked gently.

"I teach," he replied, not even bothering to come up with a lie, but hoping that she would not ask what subject he taught.

"Oh, how nice," she said and he nearly sighed with relief.  "Do you enjoy it?"

"Yes," he replied honestly.  "There's nothing like transferring knowledge to young people.  An incredible feeling of well-being seems to accompany watching students improve themselves through learning."

Hermione grinned at him.  "I'm sure your students are quite grateful to have such a committed teacher."

Snape felt his face grow hot at her words.  "Well, most of my students hate me, so grateful is hardly the word one would use to describe their feelings towards me."

Hermione leaned forward slightly in her seat.  "They think they hate you, Professor, but later on they will realize just how many valuable lessons you taught them.  You truly prepare them for life."

Snape looked at her skeptically.  She had called him Professor.  Did she know who he was?  If she did, how long had she known?  And why hadn't she thrown him out of the shop yet? "For all you know," he said, allowing his voice to take on its classroom tone, "I could teach kindergarten."

He was surprised to see her laugh.  "In all of my life, I have never met such an intimidating kindergarten teacher!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, well," Severus frowned.  He was at a loss for words.

He was surprised to see her stand from her chair after a few moments of silence.  She walked over to his chair and stood before him.  Severus froze, unsure of what to do or of what was happening.  Was she making a move on him?

He waited and, quite suddenly, she lifted her hand.  Grabbing the bill of his cap, she pulled it off in one swift movement.  He had no time to stop her.  He was exposed.

He watched her as she continued to stand before him, staring down at him.  He noticed her eyes were slightly wider than they had been before, but she did not seem terribly astounded to see him seated before her.  After a moment, Severus sighed.  "Well, good evening, Miss Granger," he grumbled and dropped his gaze from hers.

He could practically hear her smile.  "Why Professor Snape," she said, "this is a pleasant surprise."  He glanced up at her and she was indeed grinning down at him.  She did not look upset that it was he who had been coming to visit her these past few evenings.  In fact, much to his surprise and delight, she looked quite happy at this discovery.

She backed away from his chair and made her way over to the counter.  "Would you like a drink, Professor?  I am afraid all I have is water, but I imagine it's better than nothing."

"Er, yes please," Snape called to her from his seat.

"So Professor," she said as he watched her pour water from a bottle into two tall glasses.  "Are you going to explain to me why you wandered into my store?"

Snape sighed.  "I occasionally visit muggle shops to see if they have any potions books in stock.  Occasionally antique stores have very rare copies of older texts.  I like to frequent muggle stores in the hopes of finding something valuable."  

He paused before explaining precisely why he had come to this store.  "The headmaster had mentioned this store had quite a few books about magic.  And he said that the owner was quite friendly and willing to help her customers."

Hermione smiled as she walked back to him from the counter.  She handed him his glass of water before seating herself across from him once again.  "You'll have to thank the headmaster for the compliment on my behalf," she paused to shake her head.  "It's been years since I've seen him."

"It's been years since you've seen anyone from what I understand," Snape said, taking a sip of the water.   "Why did you leave, Hermione?"

Her eyes shot up at the sound of her name.  Snape was, once again, just as surprised as she was at what he had said.  For the second time in her presence, his speech had made him look like a bumbling fool.

"Post traumatic stress disorder is what the muggles would call it," Hermione said, offering a small sad smile to her companion.  "The war was over and everyone was using Harry's wedding as the symbol of hope.  They all saw it as proof that Voldemort could not ruin us, and that he had not ruined us. But he ruined me," she paused and let her eyes drift up to meet his, "Severus."

Severus sighed, once again fully aware of the twenty years he had on her.  "There were many deaths, Hermione.  And you were probably far too young to be fighting in such a war."

She simply shrugged in response.  "Far too weak is all."

Severus frowned.  He was unequipped to deal with emotional situations.  Firstly, he wasn't very good with emotions.  In general, his range seemed to start at angry and end with extremely angry.   He was not sure where his feelings for Hermione fell in that range, but it was not exactly a pressing matter.  The sadness, regret, and guilt he saw in Hermione's eyes were rather foreign to him.  He did not have the faintest idea what the appropriate response would be.  Something told him that Minerva, if presented with this, would take her hand and gently explain that it was not her fault.  But he was not gentle, and he was certainly not going to initiate physical contact with a former (and, mind, beautiful) student.  So, settled for using the only device he had left: logic.

"Miss Granger," he began and nearly grimaced at his tone and address.  He was reverting to Professor and authority figure.  He hoped she would forgive him.  "Obviously you were not too weak.  You were younger than almost all of the wizards you fought alongside, and what's more, you stayed on board longer than many of the wizards you fought beside.  I distinctly recall many instances when hope seemed lost, when yet another well-respected friend and comrade had been lost, when some of us were just too tired to keep going, during which you made every effort to rally the troops.  You were not weak, Hermione.  You were, in fact, quite the opposite."

Snape let a heavy sigh escape his lips when he was done.  He supposed he might have done well should he have considered becoming a motivational speaker.

Hermione looked up at him when he had finished speaking, and he noticed her eyes were rather wide.  He did not pretend to think he had caused some major epiphany, but as he could see, his words had struck some chord.

"You're right, Severus," she said slowly.  "I suppose I was just being immature about the situation."  He saw her frown at this thought.

"Hermione, we are all immature from time to time; some of us more than others.  I, for one, have been extremely immature on more than one occasion.  And only now, in the middle of my forties, have I been able to recognize what an ass I can be."

He was pleased to see her giggle at this.  "You're right," she replied.  "I remember quite a few instances during my seven years at Hogwarts when you were a terrible prat."

He shrugged, and could not help but smile.  "Well, I've grown wiser with age and experience, Hermione.  I am much less of a prat these days.  I imagine if you sat in on one of my classes you'd be unable to recognize me."

"The change is _that_ dramatic?" she asked, casting him a skeptical look.

"Yes," he nodded. "Indeed."

"Well, Professor.  I suppose you have matured a bit."  She smiled wickedly at him.  "But only a little."

"You've become quite the adult yourself, Miss Granger," he replied.  "You are most certainly a beautiful woman."

She blushed at his words.  "I suppose you say that to all of your former students?"

"No," Snape shook his head.  "Just you and young master Malfoy."  He was extraordinarily pleased to hear her laughing again.  

"Oh Severus," she sighed once she had finished giggling.  "I am glad you walked into my store."

He couldn't help but grin widely at this.  "I am, too."

Their conversation was interrupted by a rather large ginger cat jumping onto the coffee table between their chairs.  The cat sat down facing its owner and stared at it.

"Oh, Crookshanks!" Hermione exclaimed in response to its sudden appearance.  "I'd forgotten about you," she glanced at the clock on the wall behind the counter and stood up from her chair suddenly.  "My goodness, it's late!"

Severus stood, too, and looked at the clock.  They had somehow managed to pass almost two full hours sitting in the chairs.  "Time does fly," Severus said softly, regretting that their visit had to end so soon.

He watched as Hermione turned abruptly to face him.  "Severus, I would like to see you again."  He saw her eyes widen in surprise and felt his own do the same.

"I would enjoy seeing you again, too, Hermione," he replied softly.  She took a step towards him and he watched as she raised her hand, resting it lightly on his arm.

Severus waited, but nothing happened.  They stood there, staring at each other.  He did not find this particularly unpleasant, though.  In fact, he found it to be quite nice.  Her eyes were a very warm brown.  

"Hermione," he heard himself saying after a few moments.  "Would you allow me to take you out for dinner one evening?  Or maybe for a few drinks?  I don't know which you would prefer."

She nodded and stepped closer to him.  He hated to admit it, but her being so close frightened him.  He awaited an onslaught of memories of her as a child that would make this seem so, so wrong and that would turn the lovely feeling in the pit of his stomach into something awful and warning of danger.  But it didn't come; instead, he simply noticed again that she smelled like vanilla and was pleasantly surprised to feel her soft lips brushing against his cheek.

She pulled away and smiled up at him, causing him to realize that he had an enormous grin on his face.  "Thank you, Severus," she said gently.  He loved the sound of his name coming from her mouth.  "Dinner would be lovely." 

"Okay," he said, stepping away from her.  He walked backwards towards the counter.  "I, uh, I'll pop in sometime soon.  Probably tomorrow.  We can finalize then."  He had backed into the counter.

She simply smiled at him, and nodded encouragingly.

"Well," Snape said, clearing his throat in an effort to gather himself together.  It was time to look like a man, not a nervous school boy.  "I look forward to seeing you.  Good night, Hermione."

"Good night, Severus.  I can't wait until tomorrow."

He nodded in reply, and turned to walk to the door.  Smiling to himself, he walked out of the shop and into the night.  As he walked down the street he suddenly remembered that he'd forgotten his cap.  Stopping, he decided against going back to get it.  For some reason, he was quite certain he was going to have many opportunities to get it back.


End file.
